Missing Woman • When group of divers surfaced, a West Valley City woman had vanished.

By Jim Dalrymple Ii The Salt Lake Tribune

Published January 17, 2013 8:53 am

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Emma Lashlee hopes officials find her missing daughter, Tamara, in the Gulf of Mexico, but in a quavering voice she said isn't sure they will.

"I've got to hope," Lashlee said. "I've got to hope they'll find her alive. But I have my doubts."

Tamara Lashlee, 43, of West Valley City. disappeared Monday while scuba diving off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico, her mother said. She was with a guided group of other divers but when everyone reached the surface, she was gone. No one knows what happened to her.

According to Emma Lashlee, Mexican officials are searching for her daughter and The Daily Mail reports that the Mexican Marine Armada has been deployed. Emma Lashlee also said another adult daughter has been communicating with the U.S. consulate in the area. In the meantime the family is waiting and wondering what could have happened.

"If they don't find her alive, we'll never know until we all get together in the hereafter," Emma Lashlee said.

Tamara Lashlee was certified to scuba dive, her mother explained, but it was her first trip. An adventurous woman who road a Harley and a four-wheeler, she had been excited to travel to Cozumel, and went with two brothers. Emma Lashlee said she heard that her missing daughter may have been having trouble with her ear.

The two brothers are still in Mexico, according to Emma Lashlee, and doing everything they can to help the search.

Tamara Lashlee has three children, ages 22, 19 and 16, her mother said. She was planning to close on a home Feb. 1.

Consulate officials did not return calls from The Salt Lake Tribune on Wednesday afternoon and efforts to contact local officials with knowledge of the situation were unsuccessful.